Christmas Markets
Christmas Markets are a big thing all over Europe. I keep hearing about them in Liege, Lille, Cologne, and some tiny town in the Netherlands. And of course we have ours here in Brussels! Small temporary booths line miles of streets down in the city center. You can buy hats, or candy, or jewelry, or wood statues or hair clips. Or anything!! Some booths are bars, some have cheese, some have hot wine, which is delicious, one has waffles on a stick!! And you wander in the cold and do some shopping and eat some food. There are carousels for the children that look like something out of nightmares. There are light shows projected onto the facades of ancient churches. There's a giant ferris wheel and carnival rides, although who rides them in cold is beyond me. I've heard there's even an ice skating rink, although I haven't found it.
Grande Place is amazing right now. Every half hour there is a 15 minute light and music show. It's beautiful and haunting and gothic and magical and like a fairy tale. The first time I watched it, my friend said, "it's like LITERALLY being in a Christmas movie!" And it's so very very true. The booths get very crowded and after two or three trips, I may have had my fill of them. But I do want to go back to Grande Place one more time before Christmas. It just doesn't get old. And my melodramatic heart eats it up.
Grande Place is amazing right now. Every half hour there is a 15 minute light and music show. It's beautiful and haunting and gothic and magical and like a fairy tale. The first time I watched it, my friend said, "it's like LITERALLY being in a Christmas movie!" And it's so very very true. The booths get very crowded and after two or three trips, I may have had my fill of them. But I do want to go back to Grande Place one more time before Christmas. It just doesn't get old. And my melodramatic heart eats it up.
Nativity Scene with Real Sheep!!!
British Ben (there are 3 Bens in our year) and Lauren with Hot Wine and waffles on a stick.
Steampunk carousel that would not pass OSHA standards.
Light Show on the facade of St. Catherine's.
Booth that smoked the salmon right there. Or something. There was a fire.
Giant Ferris Wheel in distance. Second strange carousel in foreground.
Grande Place light show.
Grande Place light show.
Grande Place light show.
Grande Place Light Show.
Not sure if you can see, but that's Tinkerbell twirling to the Nutcracker Suite on the facade of St. Catherine's.
SO. MANY. PEOPLE.
Gillian, myself and Lauren got sausages.
small clip of the light and music of Grande Place
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